


Gold

by Paindepice



Series: Du sang et de l'eau [4]
Category: K-pop, SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Vampire, Angst, Bodyguard Vernon, Campfires, Hurt/Comfort, Jihoon has like one line and the others too, M/M, They were supposed to have sex but I am a coward and a fraud, Vampire Seungkwan, kind of sad :c
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-28
Updated: 2020-09-28
Packaged: 2021-03-08 05:01:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,956
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26690071
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Paindepice/pseuds/Paindepice
Summary: Vernon gave him a sad smile. “I have you, you are still alive. As long as you are here, everything else will work out for me.”
“And what if I didn't make it?”
Vernon glanced at the moon behind Seungkwan's head, his gaze distant. “I might as well have been dead too,” he said darkly.After loosing everything to his enemies, Seungkwan finds himself wondering what will become of him and his guards.
Relationships: Boo Seungkwan/Chwe Hansol | Vernon
Series: Du sang et de l'eau [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1916506
Comments: 3
Kudos: 30





	Gold

"Hey, at least we still have each other!"

Soonyoung had always been the overly positive one in their friends group. Him sitting in only his undergarments and his clothes drying by the fire might have given a sense of familiarity to Seungkwan, but it only made him feel uncertain.

Seungkwan glanced at Soonyoung, who was sitting at the other side of the fire which they had set up earlier today. The forest around them was dark and imposing, and Seungkwan could hear peaceful sounds of beasts in the far distance. Over their heads, an owl hooted.

Seungkwan nodded at his friend, unable to speak. Unable to let go of hope.

Jeonghan, on the other hand, snorted, and threw a rock in the fire, and kept chewing on the last bite of the rabbit they'd caught earlier. It was Seungkwan's first time to have a taste of animal blood, and it turned out to be bitter and unsatisfying. And at the same time, it should still his hunger for the rest of the day.

Vernon put a hand on Seungkwan's shoulder, always conscious of his friend's mannerisms and mood. Always the vigilant one.

Mingyu hooted at the owl, leaning a bit back on the tall three branch he was sitting on, his weapon sitting right across his chest. He'd been drawing the moon, Seungkwan noticed. Squinting at Mingyu's notebook, the shape of the moon was clearly recognizable. 

"He's not wrong," Jihoon stated, with a low voice, staring at the fire as if he could see the palace burning down in it; all of his work gone and lost. Among them, he was probably the one that suffered the most. And yet Seungkwan was the one that wanted to punch Soonyoung out of mere frustration.

Vernon's hand squeezed his shoulder harder as if to catch his attention. Seungkwan looked in his direction, and caught a piece of ash in his friend's black hair, sitting neatly in the locks that touched Vernon's forehead.

In Vernon's eyes, Seungkwan could see fire; it was always _the_ fire. Imprinted on them like a cursed mark.

Seungkwan averted his gaze. 

"You are so quiet Seungkwannie," Jeonghan said. He tilted his head, curious. His lips was still greasy from the rabbit he'd devoured. Seungkwan never knew demons prefered their food cooked, but then again Jeonghan was a particular case.

Just like Jihoon, just like Mingyu, just like Seungcheol, just like Soonyoung.

Vernon too.

All of them were outcasts because there was something about them that the other monsters hated, despised, or wanted for themselves. They'd been torn to pieces because of it, and when Seungkwan'd come around, he'd tried to put them back whole. Not having been able to save from death, Seungkwan'd figured he could at least help them pick up their scattered pieces and glue them back with gold.

And they all shone now, they all looked like a beautiful work of art. And, of course, they were deeply grateful to him. It made Seungkwan feel like a piece of garbage for initially taking advantage of their weaknesses.

 _Come with me_ , he had said, to a barely crumbling Jeonghan.

 _You don’t have to suffer anymore_ , he had said to a blinking Soonyoung.

 _Follow me and never look back_ , he had yelled to a scared Seungcheol.

 _Please trust me_ , he had sweetly said to a growling Mingyu.

 _I saved you_ , he muttered to a pale Jihoon.

 _Hold my hand_ , he had whispered to a confused Vernon.

And they'd all followed him, and they'd all loved him. 

They'd even fought alongside him, and for what? All of it had been destroyed in the fire, together with Seungkwan's people, together with their friends, and all of it because Seungkwan hadn't been able to stop himself.

 _If you end up in ashes, remember that this is the path that you chose ._ The old vampires had been as menacing as a little butterfly to him. When they had pointed their dry and boney fingers at him during council meeting, and had looked at him with shallow eyes. Seungkwan'd never paid them much attention. But they possessed a great deal of power, that much Seungkwan had learnt.

And that had been his ultimate mistake. To underestimate his enemy.

“Seungkwan. . .” Vernon muttered, Seungkwan moved his head sightly, stirred up from his thoughts. Everyone was looking at him worriedly, and for how much he just wanted to sulk around, he didn’t have that privilege.

“I’m ok, I was just thinking about something,” he whispered before putting his hand on Vernon’s– the one that was still resting on his shoulder. They intertwined their fingers there, and somehow Seungkwan felt slightly better.

Mingyu jumped down from the tree branch, and landed gracefully, like a quiet cat. He pocketed the little notebook he was using to draw in, and put the sword back in place, at his hips.

“I’m hungry, Jeonghan. Let’s switch, I want to hunt,” he moaned. 

“Eh? Why me? Soonyoung ate already, I did not,” Jeonghan hissed, not moving one inch from the ground. 

“I can smell the rabbit flesh coming from your mouth from where I'm standing," Mingyu argued. "Come on.”

Jeonghan laughed at that, as always when he got caught lying or cheating. “Ah… Ok, ok,” he sighed, defeaded. When Soonyoung elbowed him in the ribs for trying to cheat his way away from duty, Jeonghan raised both his hands in the air. 

It was funny, how they all managed to still find some familiarity in a situation like that, far away from home, but Seungkwan could not find one fiber in him to laugh.

Vernon snorted, smiling fondly at them. “I’m going to look for Seungcheol,” he said, and stood. Everyone nodded. 

Seungkwan watched him leave, eyes fixed on Vernon's back until he couldn't distinguish between his cape and the heavy darkness of the night anymore.

“I can still smell smoke in my hair, I’m going to bathe” Seungkwan announced then, getting up. His friends all looked at him. Everyone held a proposal to go with him on their lips, Seungkwan could actually see it, the words hanging just on the tip of their tongues, for his security. 

His weapon was gone; in the fire it rested, unmoving until someone else could wield it. Of course, this made Seungkwan the easiest target amongst them. 

“ _Alone_.” he ordered, it echoed slightly and four gleaming yellow pairs of eyes looked back at him. They could do nothing against his order, that Seungkwan'd learned many years prior. 

When he spoke an order, their eyes would gleam and their brains would follow. Still, it was rare that he made use of it, but today he needed some time to himself.

“I’m telling Vernon,” Jeonghan called after him. 

“He is not my mother, do what you want,” Seungkwan snapped, before walking towards a small lake. It took him just a few minutes to reach it.

The moon shone unnaturally on the surface of the small body of water. Seungwkan undressed slowly; every garment that he peeled off his body smelled of fire and wood and smoke. The more his skin was exposed to the cold air of the night, the less heavy he felt. se

Seungkwan moved with a lethargic slowness, taking a few steps inside the cold water. His skin prickled from the cold, and he started to shiver. Yet, he suppressed it all for the sake of getting clean.

He was halfway done with washing up when he heard a noise coming from the bushes. Turning around, Seungkwan noticed that Vernon was sitting by the side of the lake. The boy just watched, one arm propped on his knee. His eyes were on Seungkwan, and a gentle smile grazed his lips. 

Wanting to have some time for himself, far away from Vernon’s gaze, Seungkwan took a breath and dove under water. He immediately regretted that decision. 

When he came back up to the surface, he yelped, and swam closer to where Vernon sat. The boy was laughing; his teeth were as white as the moon above them. 

“What are you doing?” Vernon asked, once Seungkwan came closer. The water was covering just half of his body now, and Vernon’s hand became wet when he touched Seungkwan's cheek.

“I needed to swim."

“At an ungodly hour of the night?”

“Yes.”

The lie seemed believable for only moment, then Seungkwan's teeth started to clank, and he had a full-body shiver. Vernon laughed softly, his thumb touching a small drop of water that was resting on Seungkwan lips. With a swift move on his thumb, Vernon cleaned it off.

“Come,” he said, and Seungkwan followed, pliant and tired of pretending to not being tired. 

Vernon didn’t seem to care that Seungkwan was wet, nor that his clothes got wet where their bodies touched.

“You need to rest, we all do. I know this whole thing is fucked up, but as Soonyoung said, at least we are still together. We can work this out,” he said, his hands rubbing little circles on Seungkwan’s naked back.

“You sound so calm about this,” Seungkwan whispered, pushing Vernon down on the ground. Water droplets fell on Vernon's pretty face when Seungkwan leaned over him. 

Vernon gave him a sad smile. “I have you, you are still alive. As long as you are here, everything else will work out for me.”

“And what if I didn't make it?”

Vernon glanced at the moon behind Seungkwan's head, his gaze distant. “I might as well have been dead too,” he said darkly.

It occurred to Seungkwan that if Vernon was not with him, he would have despaired. Vernon would have hunted down whoever caused the fire and by the end of it, he would have probably found a way of ending his own existence.

He didn’t know if Vernon was thinking the same, but it felt like it. Seungkwan sat up, still on Vernon’s lap. He caught something wild flashing in Vernon's gaze, something like unbridled want and hunger.

Vernon's eyes met his and softened again, like what Seungkwan'd seen just a minute ago had been nothing but an an illusion. But Seungkwan knew better.

“Stop ogling me like you have never seen me naked.” Seungkwan covered his chest with his hands, faking being shy. Water droplets feel from his hair down to his shoulders; small like little gems that shone in the white night.

Vernon laughed, he moved one hand from Seungkwan's hips to his face, caressing his cheek in the most delicate manner.

Then moved his chin towards Seungkwan's face. 

Seungkwan followed once again.

They kissed slowly and deliberately, sweetly and sluggish. The cold air of the night was still there, touching his skin and going down to his bones, but Seungkwan was shivering for different reasons. For once, he let all his bottled up feelings pour out.

His tears became like the droplets of water that were already on his face. He felt rage, pain, sadness and anguish, all of it tearing apart in his chest, while Vernon kissed each drop away from his face.

“I am so sorry,” Seungkwan said, while Vernon tried covering him with his red cape. There was no use really, it wasn’t like he would have warmed him up, vampires were always cold.

“I love you,” Vernon whispered in the silent night, while Seungkwan pressed his face against his chest.

For those minutes, Seungkwan was nothing more than an extension of Vernon’s being, and so was the other for him. They were one and the same.

And just how he put pieces of Vernon’s soul back together with gold, so was Vernon putting him back together, whole, picking the smallest pieces of his pained soul with his.

And Seungkwan was shining, shining.

**Author's Note:**

> I am.  
> I don’t know this AU has taken my brain and said “Well, I live here now”.
> 
> That aside thanks so much for the support (;^;)/ I love you all and I wish I can finally finish setting up the plot of this thing so I can finally start it up and stop posting these short little snippets ;^;


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